How Do I Lose Excess Water Weight?

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  • RaggedyPond
    RaggedyPond Posts: 1,487 Member
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    Water weight is just part of being alive and eating food. Fluctuations are completely normal especially being female we have lots of hormones changing based on our cycles.
  • susanrechter
    susanrechter Posts: 386 Member
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    you look too young and to have swollen ankles. You should consult a doctor to rule out anything serious.
    Cut out the processed lunchables and ramen noodles, see if that helps reduce the swelling. Read labels and compare what mfp recommends for your stats and sodium intake and that which you are eating. Drink water. Tea and coffee are diuretics. If there is no change, I would see a doctor, pronto.
  • mungowungo
    mungowungo Posts: 327 Member
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    Unless I'm going blind (not totally outside the realms of possibility). You asked the initial question back in May of this year. It's now December.

    It's been a few months have you been to the doctor yet to have it checked out?
  • victoire713
    victoire713 Posts: 720 Member
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    I haven't been to a doctor and the waterweight in my ankles did go down for awhile, but now it's trying to come back again.

    I take meds but they're all weight neutral. So they couldn't be the cause of the waterweight in my ankles.

    Oh yeah, and I forgot to mention if I go to get a doctors' appointment, they'll make me wait more than a couple of months because to them the flu or any other illness and/or pregnancy is more important and more urgent than waterweight in my ankles are.
  • nomeejerome
    nomeejerome Posts: 2,616 Member
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    I haven't been to a doctor and the waterweight in my ankles did go down for awhile, but now it's trying to come back again.

    I take meds but they're all weight neutral. So they couldn't be the cause of the waterweight in my ankles.

    Oh yeah, and I forgot to mention if I go to get a doctors' appointment, they'll make me wait more than a couple of months because to them the flu or any other illness and/or pregnancy is more important and more urgent than waterweight in my ankles are.

    If you have been dealing with this since last Spring, you need to make an appointment. You have already waited this long, so log off the forums and make the phone call.
  • kaotik26
    kaotik26 Posts: 590 Member
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    Drink more water and watch the sodium in your diary. If it does not go away a doc is needed. Swelling in legs and ankles is a sign of diabetes.
  • Spreyton22K
    Spreyton22K Posts: 323 Member
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    Dear Victoire,

    I second all responders who have recommended you to seek a medical professionals opinion about your bloating. Please do not succumb to self-diagnosing or reducing your issues to lesser importance than others conditions. While you may take time to get an appt at least you are in the queue.

    Also....diuretics are not a great path to start down. Honestly I believe prescription ones are the only ones that work and you'll need to be assessed properly to rule out other factors before you get them. I can't speak of the teas people have mentioned....but the herbal remedies available here in Aust. are not worth the money and can lead to rebound bloating (when you stop taking them and they should only be used short-term, as anything like this prescription, or otherwise can add extra strain on your kidneys).....that's if they work, TBH my experience when I was much younger and desperate was disappointing (I think I had very expensive fairy-dung in a capsule sold to me as a miracle cure) LOL.

    Of course in the mean time address your eating habits with the extra sodium type foods you are ingesting. Stay as clear as you can from high sodium laden processed food hopefully it will help you keep the swelling under control, maybe start taking note using MFP to plot your bloating days in relation to the sorts of foods you have eaten may be helpful....it sounds as tho you are doing well with drinking plenty of water that's great and it will definitely help you in the long run.

    If this gets worse....particularly if you develop feelings of tightness/pain and real dragging heaviness in your legs or numbness and tingling in your feet, take it as possibly a sign of a more serious issue that requires immediate attention, also if you start feeling ill in other ways with the aformentioned symptoms do not hesitate to seek help ASAP.

    Good Luck
    Karen
  • victoire713
    victoire713 Posts: 720 Member
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    So despite all the problems listed, I have lost weight since last month. But my blood pressure was high, which is totally unusual for me. But my shrink didn't bring it up so I guess it's not much of a concern, since I usually don't have it.

    I'm wondering if my meds are part of some of the issues I have with my physical health and weight stuff....
  • Darrelkun
    Darrelkun Posts: 152 Member
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    You want to aim for a maximum of 1000 mg of sodium a day if you can help it. Up to 1500 is the allowed amount, but 1000 is ideal. Anything more than that and you will likely start to bloat. Unfortunately a lot of our foods are loaded with sodium. When you look at the back and it says 200mg of sodium, be sure to also check the serving.

    For example, one package of Top Ramen has about 800mg of sodium PER SERVING. What is a serving? Half the block. That's 1600 mg of sodium per package of ramen... which is way above your sodium intake for the day.This is a poor food choice and would be in your best interest to cut out completely (or at least reduce in intake).

    Drink lots of water. You said it is no problem, which is good. But you cannot outweigh the levels of sodium with water alone. Potassium intake might help as well to counteract sodium, but again it's best to just reduce sodium.

    If this fails I strongly suggest talking to a professional. They'll be able to run blood tests and get a better look at what is going on than we can with just patient descriptions. Wish you the best of luck with this.
  • victoire713
    victoire713 Posts: 720 Member
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    I also love eating bananas. Marshmallers are awesome too but I try not to consume too many, if any at all. But bananas are the bomb. I love 'em.

    I'm also lactose intolerant. Can't have milk and can't have most cheeses. I have to be very careful about that stuff.

    I have been trying new foods, and seeing if I like them. I find the more I try, the more I like to eat. My friend and her daughter turned me on to these chocolate straws that u put in a glass of moo juice(I do the fat free variety, as it's easy on my stomach) and drink. It's tasty. I hope this is okay, because that's one thing I wouldn't want to give up. I have(for the most part) given up chocolate, but I have been craving a lot of it lately. Is it okay to "cheat" and give in to those cravings, or should I just stay away?
  • victoire713
    victoire713 Posts: 720 Member
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    I have lost some waterweight in my ankles but somehow I'm still holding in water. I still don't know how this is happening.
  • gusterguy79
    gusterguy79 Posts: 3
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    Of course check with your Dr., but if everything is fine there I suggest 2 things…


    1) Lemon (a natural diuretic).
    2) Asparagus ( I heard it helps regulate water levels)
  • neanderthin
    neanderthin Posts: 10,017 Member
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    Do you mean just for today or do you mean forever.:happy: j/k
  • hurricanegirl13
    hurricanegirl13 Posts: 109
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    I have lost some waterweight in my ankles but somehow I'm still holding in water. I still don't know how this is happening.

    Did you cut down on the ramen and eating out?

    Honestly, if your retaining water, its probably a sodium issue OR something you need to see a doctor for asap. If it's sodium, there's no quick fix. Just like losing weight, you have to change your eating habits, permanently. It's not going to go away if you only change your sodium intake for a few days...

    I would recommend taking some of the things you love, like lunchables, and finding ways you can make them yourself. (ie- buy the parts separately and make the "lunchable" pizza yourself.) That way you can actually control the sodium and other stuff a little better.

    PS- I personally find that if I "don't allow" myself to have something I really love, like chocolate, I'm setting myself up to fail. If I tell myself "YOU CAN NEVER HAVE A SNICKERS AGAIN." Well, i'm going to want the damn snickers even more. And when I do finally have that snickers, I'd eat two king size bars (this is an exaggeration, but you get the point.) Instead I watch portions, like instead of banning snickers from my life, I'll have a snickers mini instead. Or what ever your gluttonous craving is... it's all about moderation and portion control.
  • victoire713
    victoire713 Posts: 720 Member
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    I guess for that period of time I might not have had ramen, so I suppose that's why I lost it. It's still off, so that's a good thing, and I admit I "cheated" last night and had ramen before bed. I eat the instant cup ramen, not the block ramen. Is that still going over the portion limit? Just wondering. And is it okay that I "cheated"?

    Now I feel extremely guilty.
  • hurricanegirl13
    hurricanegirl13 Posts: 109
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    Well, like I said, I believe in moderation. Notice I said cut down, not cut out. :) Banning ramen for life probably won't work because exactly what you described will happen. You have some, then feel like you're "cheating", which leads to guilt and other nasty feelings. Someone said somewhere in this forum how important it is to build a positive relationship with food to achieve weight loss and health, and I totally agree... so, imo, allowing yourself some in moderation is fine. So what you had some ramen last night? It's a new day, and so is the next, and the next. The danger is falling into a "well tomorrow's a new day mentality EVERYDAY... otherwise there'd never be any change. Others may totally disagree with my own viewpoints! You have to listen to your body and make those choices for yourself.

    Did you look at the amount of sodium in a cup of noodles? 1434mg! That's CRAZY! My limit according to MFP is like 2,300 per day, and I believe that's even a little high. The AHA recommends that we limit sodium to only 1500mg per day. That cup of noodles would just about be it! That would be over half of my sodium intake, and depending what else I'd eat, would probably go over! I happen to be very sensitive to salt, and a salty meal will make my feet, hands, and face swell up like nobody's business.
  • victoire713
    victoire713 Posts: 720 Member
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    Now, are Glucerna shakes okay? I mean I only have one a day only when I need it. Just wondering on that one. And I got weighed today instead of two days ago because my shrink wasn't there. And I gained 6 pounds instead of losing weight. I find it hard to believe but oh well I guess I'm in denial again about losing and gaining weight.

    I figure since it's February, I'd cheat a little and buy some chocolate(u know, my Valentine's gift to myself). I figured I'd do it again in May(my bday is in May). Is that okay?
  • hurricanegirl13
    hurricanegirl13 Posts: 109
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    Just do what feels right for your body. There's isn't necessarily a right/wrong (unless you think the "right" way to lose weight is to eat out everyday, or to only eat 500 calories a day... but that's different).

    Everything can be "okay" if you justify it well enough. :/
  • victoire713
    victoire713 Posts: 720 Member
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    I feel guilty because I haven't logged in my fitness/food thing since last Thursday. My computer got sick so I had to take it in to the geek squad. I have a Kindle that I could have logged on, but I just didn't have the energy needed to charge it. So I sat without logging until today.

    Since last Thursday, I think I've had a lot of "junk", which is not good for me and I know better than that, to eat that way, I feel it's the end of the world or something.
  • victoire713
    victoire713 Posts: 720 Member
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    I just got put on a medication that has a reputation for weight gain. But I have been on it before, and I never had the problem. So would there be a risk there in weight gain, even if I haven't had it before?

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